§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the reasons for the failure of the launch of HMS Victorious Trident submarine at Barrow-in-Furness.
§ Mr. SoamesHMS Victorious' departure from Barrow-in-Furness, scheduled for Sunday 15 January, was delayed for two days due to bad weather. A combination of restricted visibility and heavy sea swell meant that the safe passage of the submarine through the shallow and extremely narrow channels at Barrow could not be assured. HMS Victorious was accepted at sea by the Royal Navy yesterday.